Yerkir Union calls on international community to address problems of Georgian Armenians

PanARMENIAN.Net - Yerkir, the Union of Public Organizations, eyes the arrests of Grigor Minasyan and Sargis Hakobjanian as a provocation aimed to destabilize Samtskhe Javakheti and split the Armenian-Georgian relations.



Grigor Minasyan and Sargis Hakobjanyan are accused of formation of illegal armed unit and espionage.



A criminal case in compliance with articles 18.1, 223.1 and 314 of the Georgian Penal Code was initiated. The investigation is led by intelligence agency of the Interior Ministry.



"Official Tbilisi tries to avoid fulfillment of international obligations on protection of ethnic minorities' rights. Yerkir Union calls on the international community to address problems of Georgian Armenians," Yerkir program director Robert Tatoyan told a news conference in Yerevan today.



For his part, Yerkir President Sevak Arstruni said that fear drives Armenians out of Javakheti.



"We understand that the Armenian authorities can't take drastic measures. That is why we call on the Diaspora to join efforts to protect Armenians of Georgia," he said.



At that, he warned that Azerbaijan is circulating rumors that Armenians of Javakheti "want to declare independence."